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Volunteers will pass out about 5,000 small litter bags to the public before the 6 p.m. parade and then collect the bags again at the end of the parade, said Chad Lorance, communications manager for the water district.

Lorance said the program encourages paradegoers to dispose of their own trash instead of leaving it for someone else.

“Reverse litter is definitely a community program. We want people to take ownership in their community,” he said.

A booth on the anti-litter program will be in the XTO Energy Holiday Fun Zone before the parade, where people can learn about the Ten on Tuesday campaign. Area residents can pledge to participate in the Ten on Tuesday campaign at reverselitter.com/tenontuesday.

Besides keeping the streets litter free, “all the drains in downtown Fort Worth end up in the Trinity River, so it is a much cleaner and better way to make sure our waterways stay clean,” Armstrong said.

Started in 1983, the initial Parade of Lights featured 25 floats and 25,000 people in attendance. Now the parade has over 100 floats and attracts between 100,000 and 200,000 people to downtown, according to the website.

The theme of this year’s parade, “Our Christmas Traditions,” will be reflected in the floats.

Police Chief Jeffrey Halstead and his wife, Kim, will be grand marshals.

Those attending will also notice that the lights on thet Sundance Square Christmas tree have already been turned on. In past years the tree was turned on at the parade’s end.

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